Researchers gave participants face tattoos that can track when their brain is working too hard. Published May 29 in the Cell Press journal Device, the study introduces a non-permanent wireless forehead e-tattoo that decodes brainwaves to measure mental strain without bulky headgear. This technology may help track the mental workload of workers like air traffic controllers and truck drivers, whose lapses in focus can have serious consequences.
“Technology is developing faster than human evolution. Our brain capacity cannot keep up and can easily get overloaded,” says Nanshu Lu, the study’s author, from the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). “There is an optimal mental workload for optimal performance, which differs from person to person.”
Humans perform best in a…